Update for the week Friday, August 20, through Thursday, August 26, 2010
THIS WEEKEND
TEEN SOYO OUTING- The teens of St. Mary Pawtucket invite Diocese Teen SOYO members, advisors, clergy and all others who would like to attend, to a Pawtucket Red Sox Game on Monday, August 30. Meet at 6:45 pm for the 7:05 game at McCoy Stadium, 1 Columbus Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860. Tickets are $10; please bring cash the day of the game. Notify Liz & Erick by this Sunday, August 22nd that you will be attending.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFICE CLOSED - No one will be in the Church Office until next Tuesday, August 24, when our parish secretary returns from vacation; but telephone messages will be checked at least once per day. (Fr. Antony can also be reached by e-mail at frawhj@gmail.com)
REMINDERS
ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE: ST. THEKLA PILGRIMAGE – Theannual St. Thekla pilgrimage will take place over the weekend of September 24 – 26, 2010at Antiochian Village. This year’s theme will be Ascending the Mountain: It’s a Family Road Trip. Presiding Hierarch will be Rt. Rev. Bishop THOMAS, with Mother Alexandra, Abbess of the Convent of St. Thekla, as an additional speaker. For more information, visit www.antiochianvillage.orgor contact the office at the Antiochian Village 724-238-3677. See brochure on Church Bulletin Board. Registration and payment deadline: September 1, 2010.
HELP NEEDED: FOOD PANTRY COORDINATOR– Two to four volunteers from St. Mary are scheduled to help each week in the food pantry at St Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard Square, Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45. If you are interested in helping, please volunteer to be the new coordinator - contact outgoing coordinator Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684. Our grateful thanks to Christian for serving in this capacity for the past several years.
WOMEN’S CLUB SUMMER READING - This summer Women's Club members (and anyone else who'd like to join us) will be reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Read the book over the summer, and join us in the fall, on a date to be announced, for an enjoyable evening of discussion, refreshments and fellowship!
DEFIBRILLATOR TRAINING- Due to a generous donation, the church is about to install a new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine downstairs in the church hall, and plans on hosting a professional training session for the AED machine in the fall for our parishioners. This training would be at no cost to parishioners and would last approximately 30-45 minutes.
In the alternative, the Parish council is requesting feedback from parishioners about interest in a combination CPR and AED class wherein attendees could receive their certification in these areas. This class would carry a small cost, would be sanctioned by the Red Cross or other entity, and would last about 4-6 hours. We need to know how many parishioners are interested in order to schedule the training. Please see Raymond Sayeg (rsayeg@dennerpellegrino.com) or Eric Straghalis (estraghalis@gmail.com) if you are interested in these classes.
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Please sign up to provide a coffee hour – it can be as simple as coffee, juice, and cookies, and it’s easier now when summer attendance is lighter. Plenty of help is available! Signup sheets are on the bulletin board downstairs outside the Hall, or call Marilyn in the office at 617-547-1234 or secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.org.
SEEKING VIDEO STREAMING VOLUNTEERS – The video streaming ministry has been a great success! A special thank you to Erick Straghalis, Marc Patacchiola, and Nadia Abuelezam who have been instrumental in making this possible.
Marc and Erick are looking for more volunteers who can help set up the streaming service prior to Liturgy on Sunday mornings and potentially during other events (speakers, vespers, etc.). Volunteers would rotate weekly, taking turns setting up the camera, computer and microphones each week. Some technical expertise may be required, but training will be provided. If you are interested, please contact Erick Straghalis (estraghalis@gmail.com). Thank you!
CARE PACKAGES FOR “OUR” MARINE– Fr. Antony's "spiritual son" Scott is still in the Marines, and has been deployed to Afghanistan. The Fellowship of St. John the Divine is once more helping collect items for care packages for him and his fellow Marines. Thanks to the generosity of St. Mary parishioners, the Fellowship has been able to send several care packages already. We hope to send a box every month or so, so please continue to donate the items he needs. He has especially asked for Gatorade powder (dark blue kind if possible), Tuna, Beef jerky, Sunflower seeds, Sour skittles, Protein bars, and Non perishable food.
A box has been set up outside the church offices for your donations, and we would also welcome monetary contributions to help with postage, shopping, etc. - make checks payable to Fellowship of St. John the Divine or to St. Mary Church (earmarked FSJD), and give them to any member of the FSJD Steering Committee (Tiffany Conroy, Mike Decerbo, Melissa or Peter Nassiff, Socrates Deligeorges or Steve Walker), or mail them to the Church. Thank you for your caring concern and prayers for Scott and his fellow Marines!
STREAMING VIDEO- Divine Liturgy at St. Mary is broadcast live every week! Do come to church… but if you can’t, then join us on your computer. To see live broadcasts go tohttps://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/livestream. Divine Liturgy starts at 10:00 am every Sunday through the end of June, and at 9:30 during the summer.
FIRST IN, LAST OUT– Please do not park in the small lot behind the church unless you intend to stay through the end of coffee hour. The only way out is the single lane driveway. Please pull all the way in to the parking space, and please do not block the driveway – if the lot is full, you can park on the street or in the lot at the corner of Prospect Street and Bishop Allen Drive.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE
There are a number of ways you can help the Church, your fellow worshippers and those in need. Consider serving in one of these ways:
PARTICIPATION
Liturgical Service - Each Sunday, members of the congregation are needed to read the Epistle and assist during Communionby holding the Communion Cloths and Holy Bread Baskets. All Orthodox Christians in the Parish are welcome and encouraged to participate. We usually need one Epistle reader and eight people to hold cloths and baskets. If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during Communion, please contact Jeff Wasilko, 781-820-0882, jeffw@smoe.org.
Coffee Hour – People are needed every week to provide coffee, juice and cookies, or more if desired, and set it up Sunday morning. To sign up for an available Sunday, please put your name on the signup sheet on the bulletin board outside the Hall or call Marilyn Robbat in the Parish Office and she will write your name in. If you need any help with figuring out what to bring or do, check the list below the signup sheet (also printed in the Bulletin), or ask Marilyn at secretary@stmaryorthodoxchurch.orgor 617-547-1234.
VOLUNTEERING
Holy Resurrection Open Doors - The Holy Resurrection Open Door Meal Ministry in Allston needs volunteers every Monday evening (there is a special need in the summer). The official hours of the project are 4:30 pm-7:30 pm, but it is fine to come anytime and leave any time. Best times would be 5:30-5:45 to 7:15-7:30 pm. You can serve meals, coffee and tea to the people who arrive for dinner (6-7 pm) or just stay behind the scenes doing set-up and clean-up. It is a very rewarding, hands-on, face-to-face way to serve the community with (mostly) other Orthodox Christians—we even chant the Our Father together before the meal begins. Church info can be found at http://hrocboston.org. Questions? Please contact Liz Straghalis atliztutella@gmail.com phone 617-974-5005, or Tiffany Conroy at trattus1@gmail.com.
St Paul’s Food Pantry - Two to four volunteers help each week in the food pantry at St Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Harvard Square, Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:45. If you are interested in helping, please volunteer to be the new coordinator - contact outgoing coordinator Christian Alcala at cmalcala1989@yahoo.com, or (617) 876-5684.
DONATIONS
Food and Clothing – Holy Resurrection in Allston takes donations of non-perishable food items and clothing to distribute at the Open Door Ministry on Monday evenings. You can bring your donations by on Monday nights between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm or contact Tiffany Conroy, trattus1@gmail.com, for more information.
"As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me," says our Lord.
THIS WEEK'S VOLUNTEERS
LITURGICAL SERVICE – Epistle: Bob Kowalik; Communion cloth and bread: Maggie Arnold, Jonathan Hill, and others.
If you would like to read the Epistle or assist during Communion through the rest of the summer, please contact Jeff Wasilko, jeffw@smoe.org. If you have held the bread or communion cloth before, and see an empty space, feel free to step in and help.
COFFEE HOUR – FSJD
LITURGICAL SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
Saturday, August 21: NO Vespers at St. Mary
Sunday, August 22: Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am (Summer hours)
SCRIPTURE READINGS for August 22:
Epistle: St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 16:13-24
BRETHREN, be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. … If any one has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-42
The Lord said this parable, "There was a householder who planted a vineyard, … When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. … Afterward he sent his son to them, saying 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' …"
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday, August 28: NO Vespers at St. Mary (note change)
Sunday, August 29: Orthros 8:15 am, Divine Liturgy 9:30 am (Summer hours)
Sunday, September 5: Regular hours resume: Orthros 8:45 am, Divine Liturgy 10:00 am
Sunday, September 12: Church School registration
Sunday, September 19: Church School classes start
INSIGHT
While you are on earth, regard yourself as a guest of the Host, that is, of Christ. If you are at table, He honors you thus. If you breathe the air, you breathe His air. If you bathe, you bathe in His waters. If you travel, you travel around His earth. If you accumulate goods, you accumulate what is His; if you squander them, you squander what is His. If you are influential, you are so by His permission. If you are in company with others, you are with His other guests. If you are in the countryside, you are in His garden. If you are alone, He is present. If you set off anywhere, He sees you. If you do anything, He has it in mind. He is the most careful Host whose guest you have ever been. And be, in your turn, careful towards Him. A good host merits a good guest. These are all simple words, but they speak a great truth to you. All the saints knew this truth, and ordered their lives accordingly. Therefore the immortal Host rewarded them with eternal life in heaven and with glory on earth.
- St. Nikolai Velimirovich
In love did God bring the world into existence; in love is God going to bring it to that wondrous transformed state, and in love will the world be swallowed up in the great mystery of the One who has performed all these things; in love will the whole course of the governance of creation be finally comprised.
- St. Isaac the Syrian
Through divine revelation we come to know God truly, but not discursively. This requires us to avoid, at all costs, the assumption that we can explain God. He has utilized things from created reality to indicate who he is to us and for us, to show his relationship to the world and his direction of it, and so forth. Indeed, everything God tells us about himself is placed within the mold of created reality, using our human words and referring to our experiences of the creation. Such revelation is true, but it cannot capture the fullness of who God is in himself.
- James R. Payton Jr., Light from the Christian East
United with us in being and love, Christ took on himself all the hatred, rebellion, derision, despair…all the murders, all the suicides, all the tortures, all the agonies of all humanity throughout all time and space. In all these Christ bled, suffered, cried out in anguish and desolation. But, as He suffered in a human way, so He was trustful in a human way… At that moment death is swallowed up in life, the abyss of hatred is lost in the bottomless depths of love. "A few drops of blood" falling into the earth as into an immense chalice "have renewed the entire universe."
- Olivier Clément
It was necessary for us that God should take flesh and die so that we might have new life … Nothing can equal the miracle of my salvation; a few drops of blood redeem the whole universe.
- Gregory Nazianzen